Marvel / Walt Disney PicturesWe might not be in Wakanda, but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate the king of the Marvel kingdom.
Today is Chadwick Boseman's birthday and as the ruler and hero of Wakanda AKA Black Panther/T'Challa we feel it's necessary to honor the actor for his role as the legendary Marvel character...and the characters that came before him.
In honor of Boseman's birthday—he is now 41 years old—we've rounded up his most iconic and memorable characters thus far in his career for you to reminisce about.
The South Carolina native might be most known for his role in Black Panther and the Avengers films, but he has been on television as Nathaniel Ray on Lincoln Heights and played other fictional characters in films such as Draft Day.
His favorite genre of films however would be biographies or documentaries. Throughout his career, Boseman has channeled his inner real-life hero by portraying icons such as Jackie Robinson in 42 and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall.
The 41-year-old actor has also played musician James Brown in Get on Up, and that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Boseman's acting talents.
There are 10 big roles in both film and television that have pushed Boseman to the limit and made a massive impact on his career and we have them all for you below.
As you decide what to do to celebrate the actor's big day—maybe re-watch Black Panther and cheers to Wakanda forever?—make sure to scroll through Boseman's best roles gallery here and then vote for your favorite role from the birthday boy.
It's not as simple as you might think, because all of Boseman's characters have been well thought out and full of both emotion and power. He's Chadwick freaking Boseman after all, so we really expect excellence no matter who he is playing on screen and so far we haven't been disappointed.
Happy birthday, Chadwick! We hope your day is full of birthday wishes and someone else saving the day.
In the early '00s Chadwick Boseman was seen here and there on television, but it wasn't until he landed the role of Nathaniel Ray in 2008 on Lincoln Heights that he had his first big break. He played the character, who was in the Army and later discovered to be the son of the lead character Eddie Sutton (Russell Hornsby), on the ABC Family show for nine episodes and all of them were twisted and so interesting.
Following his time on Lincoln Heights the South Carolina native was on the short-lived series Persons Unknown. Again Boseman played a military man, this time named Graham McNair, who was one of several strangers who woke up to find themselves in a ghost town with no way out.
In 2013, Boseman made a big splash in the movie world when he portrayed Jackie Robinson in the film 42, which was a biography focusing on the athlete's road to becoming the first African American to play in Major League Baseball.
The actor played Vontae Mack, a football player hoping to get drafted by Sonny Weaver Jr. (Kevin Costner) and the Cleveland Browns in Draft Day.
In 2014, Boseman portrayed another iconic figure in American history...James Brown. In Get on Up he helped depict the story of the musician's rise from poverty to the legendary artist he became.
The actor switched things up from sports and biography films with Message from the King. In this film, Jacob King (Boseman) arrives from South Africa in Los Angeles to avenge his sister's death. Oh, and it's a thriller!
In 2016, fans first saw Boseman as Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War and from then on he became a fan-favorite Marvel superhero.
Marshall is the story of Thurgood Marshall (played by Boseman), the lawyer who became the first ever African American Supreme Court Justice. With the help of Sterling K. Brown and Josh Gad, Boseman was able to depict this historical journey and become Marshall.
2018's Black Panther took Boseman to super stardom as he played the title character Black Panther AKA T'Challa as he steps forward to lead the people of Wakanda into the future.
Boseman reprised his role as T'Challa and Black Panther for Avengers: Infinity War and teamed up with the rest of the good guys in the Marvel superhero flick.
He then returned to the role to help save the day once again in the 2019 hit Avengers: Endgame.
Boseman continued to work with Avengers: Endgame directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo on a 2019 film they produced called 21 Bridges. In the movie, Boseman played NYPD detective Andre Davis.
Boseman played the role of Stormin' Norman in Spike Lee's 2020 film Da 5 Bloods. The Netflix movie told the story of four African American veterans—Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.)—who returned to Vietnam decades after the war to search for the remains of their late squad leader (Boseman) and buried treasure.